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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27362443">Romantic Consequences of Halloween-Based Sleuthing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yellow_Bird_On_Richland/pseuds/Yellow_Bird_On_Richland'>Yellow_Bird_On_Richland</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Community (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe: Canon Divergence, Episode: s02e06 Epidemiology, Fluff, Halloween, Let Troy and Abed remember their shared love confession, M/M, Post-Episode: s02e06 Epidemiology, Trobed, Trobed being soft together, Troy and Abed are detectives, minor hurt/comfort, very light angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:11:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,097</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27362443</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yellow_Bird_On_Richland/pseuds/Yellow_Bird_On_Richland</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Abed and Troy normally find it really easy to watch movies together.</p><p>Then again, they normally don't get roofied at a Halloween party.</p><p>Or, rather, they don't get told that they had been roofied at a Halloween party.</p><p>Something about the whole situation stinks, and it isn't the surplus store's "taco meat."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>146</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Romantic Consequences of Halloween-Based Sleuthing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy belated Halloween to everyone! This fic took a tiny bit longer than I thought it would to come together, but I hope you all enjoy it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Do you wanna watch a scary movie? Something with aliens, monsters, or zombies?" Abed inquired as he and Troy left the library (or the liscary, as the dean had renamed it for the party).</p><p>Troy frowned. "I don't know why, but I'm kinda over zombies."</p><p>Abed frowned, as well. "And I think I'd rather watch something light than an action-heavy film. Which is strange for me, especially on Halloween. I'm usually all for seeing people escape harrowing, frightening situations, but tonight, I'm not feeling it."</p><p>Even stranger was the fact that he simply couldn't focus on <em>Marmaduke</em> once he and Troy returned to his dorm and put it on. He sighed and paused the movie.</p><p>"You okay, buddy?" Troy asked with some concern. "We're not even at a transition point in the film, and you usually wait for those if you're going to stop it."</p><p>Abed considered the question. "Yes, I'm alright. Or maybe not. I…" he ran a hand through his hair, looking for the right words. "I just feel like we're missing something."</p><p>Troy glanced around the room, taking stock of their usual movie accouterments. "We've got popcorn and our waters. Do you want some kind of dessert?"</p><p><em>"Troy's becoming more thoughtful, even if he's not the most observant person,"</em> Abed noted, then replied, "No, I meant with what happened at the party. I can't believe I don't remember any of it."</p><p>"It does seem strange," Troy agreed, furrowing his brow and squinting like he did when he was working on a particularly challenging math problem. "Who would roofie an entire Halloween party of college students?"</p><p>"There are definitely some irregularities." Abed mentally flicked through what he'd learned of rohypnol from watching various crime shows. They weren't his favorite genre, but he could appreciate a well-executed episode of <em>Law and Order </em>here and there. "Drugs never have such uniform effects on users. For instance, if we each drank a can of PBR, I'd probably feel its effects a tiny bit more than you, due to our differences in body composition." Troy nodded along, so Abed continued, "Something just doesn't add up with none of us remembering anything over the exact same timeframe."</p><p>Troy squinted and furrowed his brow the way he did when he was struggling to solve a challenging math problem. "I do remember, like, these tiny flashes of the night, I think? They're all blurry. Unfocused. I can see…" Troy closed his eyes, his face twitching a little as he struggled to recall whatever he was searching for. Abed appreciated the effort he offered in trying to piece the night together. "The number 72," Troy said after about a minute.</p><p>"Hmm...is that a recent test score? Or maybe you were thinking of the time, 7:02?" Abed offered.</p><p>Troy squinted again, as if trying to will the memory into existence. "No, it wasn't a test score, it would've been in red if it was. And it definitely wasn't the time, either."</p><p>"Hmm." Abed contemplated alternative contexts. "The only other thing I can think of is the study room thermostat. It's always set at 72 for the ideal compromise between cold and warm blooded members of our group."</p><p>Troy snapped his fingers. "That's it!" His triumph faded after a few seconds. "I can't remember why I was so focused on it, though."</p><p>"You must've turned it down for some reason. Or someone else did," Abed surmised. "We were both wrapped in blankets after we woke up, and we were shivering pretty badly."</p><p>Troy was on the verge of getting up to retrieve a notebook to jot down notes when he remembered that changing topics without giving Abed some kind of hint or say in the process rarely ended well. So he asked, "Are you okay with pausing the movie longer to do some sleuthing together, buddy? I'm thinking we could try to figure out what happened tonight. Or last night, technically. I just always think the day counts as today until you go to bed."</p><p>Abed nodded and shut off the movie. "Yeah. I'm not sure if I have the mental capacity to really get into a detective character, though."</p><p>"No problem." Troy's always liked playing with Abed, but he likes when they stay themselves just as much, if not more. He grabbed a pen, ripped a page from Abed's old Spanish notebook, and quickly wrote out a few choice phrases, including "Weird-ass drugs (not designed for butts though)," "What happened to the thermostat?" and "Why does it feel like I ate too much Taco Bell?"</p><p>He tapped the pen against the page. "I think that's all I got for now, Abed. Do you have anything to add?"</p><p>Abed slowly closed his eyes, snatching at traces of sounds, sights, faces. Suddenly, Jeff's voice rang out in his head.</p><p>"Jeff yelled at Chang," he muttered, still with his eyes shut. He focused harder, straining to hear the words; right now, it was muffled shouting. Suddenly, they came through. "He called Chang a little bitch," he clarified. "That strikes me as unnecessarily aggressive for a standard Halloween party." Another flash of the night came back to him: an ice skate turning over through the air, the tinkle of shattering glass, a scream from Annie. "And I think Chang broke one of the study room windows with an ice skate? Then Annie screamed about something."</p><p>Troy scribbled down a summary of Abed's thoughts and looked them over. "Maybe the ice skate was part of Chang's costume? And Annie screaming isn't a huge surprise in general, but especially not in those circumstances."</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>Troy grimaced. "It's a long story, and it's not mine to tell. Speaking of Annie, though." He turned to look at Abed again. "Is it just me, or did she go missing? I still don't remember everything, but I feel like she got separated from everyone."</p><p>"I have that same memory—or remnant of a memory, I guess. I think the two of us were together for the most part."</p><p>"Did we do matching costumes?" Troy wondered. He gestured at his own current outfit of a white muscle shirt and blue jeans. "This seems pretty ambiguous."</p><p>"I can't recall," Abed frowned for a second before inspiration struck. "But past Abed might be able to help." He quickly walked over to his desk, moved aside a couple of pages from a new script he was starting to develop for one of his writing classes, and retrieved a piece of paper with rudimentary sketches. "It looks like we did. You dressed up as a power loader from the <em>Alien</em> saga, and I was clearly one of the aliens."</p><p>"But I think I was also a doctor. Doctor Acula. No, wait, Dracula. Sexy Dracula!" Troy crowed, turning to grab Abed's shoulder in excitement. "Dude! This is like solving puzzles in a video game, except the game is real life and the characters are us!"</p><p>Abed tried and failed to match Troy's enthusiasm as another puzzle piece from the party fell into place.</p><p>"You called me a nerd. In front of those girls, at the party. Before you ditched our two-person costume."</p><p>He didn't mean for the line to come out as an accusation, and it felt a bit like the writers had maybe recycled it from earlier in the night, but he couldn't wallpaper over the pain. <em>"It'd be disingenuous to hide my discomfort at this point," </em>Abed realized. <em>"And I can't keep giving Troy a free pass for his behavior, even though I like him. Even though I really like him."</em></p><p>Abed went on, softening his tone a bit, but still speaking a truth that rankled him. "If I'm a nerd for enjoying the history and themes of various television shows, then aren't you a football nerd, technically? You watch Broncos games with a feverish devotion. You wear team colors to signify your allegiance and possess a wealth of knowledge about their history."</p><p>Troy put a hand out, murmured, "That's different," but Abed cut him off.</p><p>"Is it? If so, please enlighten me."</p><p>"Okay," Troy conceded. "We're not that different. I'm a nerd, too. And I'm sorry I insulted you before. It's just..." He sighed, steepled his fingers together and rubbed his forehead. He appreciated that Abed gave him time to find the proper words to express himself, even when he was upset. Troy's impulsivity lent itself well for creative writing endeavors, but when he needed clarity in English papers or on his communications presentations, there was a reason he visited Greendale's writing center or solicited feedback from Jeff or Annie.</p><p>"What is it?" Abed softly prompted him.</p><p>"It's just, I've always grown up being told to be a ladies' man. Being told that there's only one sort of "right way" to hang out with guys. That guy friends aren't even supposed to really be as close as we are." Troy shook his head, seemingly in disgust. "It's a lot to unlearn, and I sometimes fuck up at it. And it's dumb. I mean, those girls were pretty, but what was I expecting?" he grimaced. "That I'd somehow get with one of 'em?"</p><p>"Sure. Why not?" Abed asked. "You're attractive. Warm-hearted. Hilarious."</p><p>Troy's face darkened at the compliments. "Thanks, buddy. But, um." He shrugged, putting on a false air of nonchalance. "I really just wanted to hang out with you the whole time. And I...I don't know."</p><p>One door of possibilities slammed shut with Troy's hesitation, but another opened in Abed's mind.</p><p>"Hey," he interrupted Troy's semi-derailed train of thought. "Do you remember Jeff getting yanked through a door? I think in a basement?"</p><p>"Yeah," Troy breathed out, and suddenly every key fit perfectly into a lock. "Because we ran down there…"</p><p>"While we were being chased. And then we had to jump that fence, right?" Abed summarized wildly, working to unspool the narrative thread further.</p><p>"Yes!" Troy nodded vigorously as they leaned closer together, each scribbling feverish notes, their hands bumping together. "And then I crawled out a window. After you boosted me up." He frowned. "But why were we running in the first place? Who was chasing us?"</p><p>The answer struck both of them at once, as it had at the beginning of the night.</p><p>"<em>Zombies</em>," they whispered together, and their shared response cracked open the most significant part of their adventure.</p><p>Even if neither of them can say it out loud, they know what happened.</p><p>"I thought you were a goner. I mean, you <em>were</em>. I watched you get zombified, man," Troy whispered.</p><p>"But you...do you still mean it? Or is this going to be like <em>The Nanny, </em>where Maxwell tries to take it back?" Abed answered quietly, praying for the former over the latter.</p><p>"<em>Abed,"</em> Troy murmured, with a reverence that made him nearly shiver, like when they'd first recovered from the shock, from the brutal cold of the AC-blasted study room. "Of course I still mean it. And...and you?" he asked, his voice cracking.</p><p>"Of course, Troy."</p><p>"Ok, then." Troy nodded with the same determination that made him a star QB and a killer paintball warrior, then extended a hand out.</p><p>The double high-five, the double chest tap—they're formalities at this point, Abed knows, but there's comfort in the familiar as the two of them lean in for a fumbling first kiss.</p><p>He learns that Troy kisses with an eagerness that's more tender, more innocent, than hungry, and if he wasn't truly doomed before, then he is now. And Troy discovers just how wonderful it is to have a kiss without an audience. He's not at a party, he's not getting kissed because he's popular. He and Abed are kissing because they like (really like) (really love) each other, and there's no need to complicate things beyond that right now.</p><p>"Thanks for saving me, buddy," Troy murmured as he experimentally leaned his forehead against Abed's; he'll have to ask him for moisturizing tips, maybe, because his skin looks crazy smooth up close. It feels really good, too.</p><p>"Thanks for the same," Abed answered, drinking in Troy's dilated pupils—blown wide because of <em>him.</em> "Really, we all owe you. The whole school, all of Greendale."</p><p>"Is this just your special way of repaying me, then?" He shot Abed a shifty grin.</p><p>"It could be. Certainly seems to appeal to you," Abed deadpanned.</p><p>"Yeah. Yeah, it does," Troy agreed, resting against his best friend (and maybe boyfriend?), feeling absurdly grateful that, for once, he and Abed didn't come anywhere close to watching a whole movie together.</p>
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